Portable tool for reconditioning crane rails



Dec. 20, 1955 A. s. ZANOTTA 2,727,340

PORTABLE TOOL FOR RECONDITIONING CRANE RAILS Filed Aug. 31, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 JNVENTOR. gillflEli E 2111101111 19 T TOE/YE Y5 Dec. 20, 1955 A, O 'TA 2,727,340

PORTABLE TOOL FOR RECONDITIONING CRANE RAILS Filed Aug. 31, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Alfred 5-2111101111 A T702 NE Y5 Dec. 20, 1955 A. s. ZANOTTA 2,727,340

PORTABLE TOOL FOR RECONDITIONING CRANE RAILS Filed Aug. 51, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 /29 z 2s 29 LL y Y 26+HHTI 26 I. M & 11W W 5 28 -"W 25 HI. wi n m I! JI'W'VtI/ I INVENTOR.

Dec. 20, 1955 A. s. ZANOTTA PORTABLE TOOL FOR RECONDITIONING CRANE RAILS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 51, 1953 IN V EN TOR.

ATTOENE 5 Patented Dec. 29, 1955 PORTABLE TOOL FOR RECONDITIONING CRANE RAILS The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon.

.This invention relates to improved means for grinding burrs from rails and is concerned particularly with rails for large overhead cranes.

In shops where it is necessary to lift and move large, heavy objects from one section to another, there is usually provided a crane which travels on rails hung overhead and thereby moves the objects above the shop machines and equipment. The wheels of the crane are flanged to retain the crane on the rails and are gener lly cold Worked so as to be less susceptible to wear than the rails they ride on. Consequently, after a: period of operation, the pressure and the weight of the crane causes the wheels to push the r netal on the top portion of the rails to the edges, producingburrs.

These burrs are undesirable because they increase the width of the rails and thereby reduce the clearance between the rails and the flanges of the wheels. Further, these'burrs are cold worked to a hardened degree and are sharp, thereby acting as cutting edges which cause considerable damage to they/heels and create dangerous conditions. It is important, therefore, that these burrs be removed from the rails. The conventional means of removal are either to remove the rails and machine or grind them in the shop or to grind them in place with hand grinders. The first method causesa lengthy inter: ruption ofproduction, and both methods involve considerable labor costs and the many hazards inherent when worlging onheavy objects at considerable heights.

It, is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a means for removing burrs from crane rails without interfering with production, which effects. a saving of man hours, and reduces the existing hazards of the operation. I

. Another object of this invention is to provide a grinding device attachable to a crane and movable thereby.

The specific obiect of this invention is to provide a device for grinding burrs from crane rails and means for mounting the grinding device to a crane, for movement thereby, and whereby the characteristic weaving motion of the crane during travel is absorbed by a compensating mechanism so as not to interfere with the grinding operarion, l

The; specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a descriptionof a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a perspective assembly view of the grinding mechcnism of this invention;

Fig. 2 is. a top view of the motion compensating device partially broken away to show the mounting means;

Fig. 3 is a continuation of Fig. 2 and shows the means for mounting the grinder to the grinding mechanism;

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the motion compensating device;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the motion compensating device with one of the spindle assemblies shown in cross-section;

Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the carrier member of the grinding mechanism; and

Fig. 7 is a view taken along line 77 of Fig. 3.

Shown in the figures is a mounting plate 1 2 which is adapted for attachment to a crane (not shown), a motion compensating device 13, a support bar 14, a carrier roller mounted on a rail 1'7, and a conventional, electrically powered portable surface grinder 16 provided with ,a grinding wheel 18. Compensating device 13 is fixedly secured to mounting plate 12 and is adapted, by means hereinafter explained, to flexibly support one end or" support bar 14. The opposite end of support bar 14 is fixedly secured to carrier 15 for support and guidance and grinder 16 is mounted on support bar 14 for adjustable engagement with one side of rail 17. Y

Compensating device 13 includes a pair'of vertically spaced apart brackets 37 which are fixedly secured to plate 12 and extend right angularly therefrom. A pair of cylindrical spindles 19 are disposed apart between bracketsv 37 and are perpendicular thereto. Spindles 19 are terminated by reduced diameter portions 20 which are received by conventional thrust bearings 21. Thrust bearings 21 are housed by cylindrical retainers 22 which are provided with basal flanges 23. Cylindrical holes 24, disposed vertically. through brackets 37, snugly rweive retainers 22 which are inserted inwardly therethrough until stopped by flanges 23. Flanges 23 are secured to brackets 37 by conventional screw means.

An arm 25 is mounted on each spindle 19 by means of a terminating eye portion 26 which is arranged to securely receive such spindle 19. A forearm 27 is hinged to the opposite end of each arm 25 and the free end of each forearm 27 is provided with a pair of vertically spaced apart bosses 28 which are adapted to receive support bar 14 the ebetweenv Provided vertically through support bar 14, and spaced apart approximately the same distance as are spindles 1%, is a pair of pins 29 the ends of which are rotatably received by bosses 28 and thereby provide a flexible connection between support bar 14 and plate 12. A brace depends from each forearm 27, adiacent bosses 23, and is terminated by a bearing 31 which is arranged to roll laterally on a beam 32, which extends longitudinally forward from plate 12, to assist in flexibly supportingthe rear end of support bar 14.

Fixedly secured to plate 12 and extending longitudinally therefrom is a cylindrical shaft 33. Shaft 33 is terminated by an extension portion 34 of smaller diameter which extends forwardly from a shoulder 35. Provided in the rear portion of support bar 14 is a longitudinal bore 36 which is of smaller diameter than shaft 33 and is considerably larger than reduced diameter portion 34. Extension portion 34 is received by bore 36 whereby shoulder is engaged with the rear end of support bar 14 to provide movirig means-therefore and limited lateral movement is'permitted between support bar 14 and shaft 33. Shoulder 35 is so positioned that when in engagement with the end of support bar 14, arms 25 and forearms 27 are in an angular relationship of less than 90 degrees whereby lateral movement of mounting plate 12 causes such arms 25 and forearms 27 to fold still further.

Carrier 15 includes a frame 38 comprised of a longitudi nal member 39, a pair of cross arms 40 fixedly secured thereto adjacent each end and a vertical member 41 which issecured at one. end to longitudinal member 39 and at the other end to the front end of support bar 14 for support and guidance thereof. Lugs 42 extend centrally from the front and rear ends of frame 30 and each is provided with a transverse hole 44 through which there is mounted an axle 45 having protruding ends 46. Rotatably mounted on each end 46 is a wheel 47, engageable with the top side of rail 17 for transit movement therealong.

An angle iron member 48 is secured to each end of cross arms so as to provide a downwardly depending leg portion 49. Each leg portion 49 is provided with a laterally disposed hole 50 to receive support members 51 and 70. Support members 51 are mounted on one side of carrier 15 and are comprised of a rod portion 52 receivable by hole 50 and a bifurcated portion 53 to receive a roller 54 which is rotatably mounted therein on a pin 55 so as to engage the side of rail 17. Rod portions 52 are threaded and are provided with a pair of check nuts 56 thereon for adjustably retaining such support members 51 to leg portions 49. Support members 70 are mounted to carrier 15 to oppose support members 51 and are provided with a rod portion 71, slidably received in hole 50, and a bifurcated portion 72 having a roller 73 rotatably mounted therein. Rod portions 71 have a stop pin 58 provided transversely therethrough for retaining such support members 70 in leg portions 49 and are provided with springs 59 disposed between leg portions 49 and bifurcated portions 72 for biasing such support member 70 toward rail 17. Support members 51 and 70 are arranged so as to be interchangeably mounted to carrier 15 for a reason to be explained later.

The means provided for mounting grinder 16 to supportbar 14 includes a saddle member 60 arranged to receive support bar 14 and a plate member 61 secured thereto whereby support bar 14 is securely clamped therebetween. An L-bracket 62 is slidably mounted to plate 61 by vertically arranged dovetail means 63 and screw means 64 is provided to adjustably move L-bracket 62 therealong. The free arm of L-bracket 62 is arranged to extend laterally away from support bar 14 and slidably mounted thereon by laterally arranged dovetail means 65 is a mount 66 to which grinder 16 is securely attached. Screw means 67, similar to screw means 59, provides adjustable lateral movement of mount66 and a crank 68 is connected by chain 69 thereto to provide remote operation of such screw means.

The grinding mechanism of this invention is easily se- 'cured to a crane (not shown) and may be left attached thereto during normal operation thereof, ready for use during intervals when the crane is not being used in production work.

To operate the grinding mechanism, the crane is moved slowly along rail 17 under its own power, pushing the grinding mechanism before it. An operator occupies a platform (not shown) attached to the front end of the crane whereby he is able to adjustably control the grinding operation by turning crank 68 to move grinder 16 towards or away from rail 17. As the burr to be removed is considerably narrower than the face of grinding wheel 18, screw means 67 is provided to move grinder 16 vertically so that the entire face of grinding wheel 18 may be used before truing is necessary. The spring-biased support members 70 are assembled to carrier 15 so as to engage the side of rail 17 opposite that engaged by grinder 16 and thereby provide resilient engagement of grinding wheel 18 to rail 17 to reduce any undesirable effects if grinding wheel 18 should hit a snag during the grinding operation.

The crane is subject to a characteristic lateral weaving movement as it moves along rail 17 because of the reciprocating movement of the crane wheels therealong between the limits of their flanges. This movement is only a fraction of an inch but it is sufiicient to cause undesirable effects on the grinding operation if transmitted to grinder 16. Motion compensation device 13 is provided to absorb any normal lateral movement of the crane, and thereby stabilizes grinder 16. This is accomplished by the flexible 4 support given support bar 14 by the pivotal mountings of arms 45 and forearms 27, and their acute angular relationships, and the free lateral movement of the crane is permitted by the differences in the diameters of extension 34 of shaft 33 and bore 36 in support bar 14. When the opposite side of rail 17 is to be ground, grinder 16 is unclamped from support bar 14 by removing saddle member 66 and then re-assembled on the other side. Support members 51 and 70 are also transferred so that support members 70 will engage the side of rail 17 opposite that engaged by grinding wheel 18.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there is herein provided a simple and unique means of quickly and safely grinding the burrs from crane rails without interfering with production.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein, it is evident that many variations may be devised within the spirit and scope thereof and the following claims are intended to include such variations.

I claim:

1. A portable tool for reconditioning a crane rail including a mounting plate attachable to a vehicle mounted for transit on the rail, a support bar provided with a longitudinal bore in the rear end thereof, a carrier rollermounted on the rail and attached to the front end of said support bar for support and guidance thereof, flexible means for supporting the rear end ofsaid support bar,

a shaft fixed to said mounting plate and having a shoulder portion arranged to engage the rear end of said support bar for longitudinal movement thereof and a smaller diameter portion mounted in said bore for limited free movement therein to permit lateral movement of said mounting plate without disturbing said support bar, and grinding means mounted on said support bar for adjustable engagement with the rail.

2. A device for grinding the sides of a rail including a mounting plate attachable to a vehicle mounted for transit on the rail, a support bar having a longitudinal bore in the rear portion thereof, a carrier roller-mounted on the rail and attached to the front end of said support bar for support and guidance thereof, a pair of vertically spaced apart brackets secured to said mounting plate, a pair of spindles rotatably mounted between said brackets, a pair of arms secured at one end to said spindle, a pair of forearms hinged to the free end of said arms, said forearms being pivotally mounted by vertical transverse pins to said support arm whereby said support arm is pivotally mounted to said mounting plate so as to absorb lateral movement of said mounting plate, a longitudinal shaft secured to said mounting plate, said shaft being provided with a shoulder portion engageable with the rear end of said support bar for movement thereof, an extension portion protruding from said shoulder portion to be received by said bore, said extension portion arranged to be of smaller diameter than said bore to permit limited lateral movement therein, and a grinder mounted on said support bar for adjustable engagement withthe rail.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,759,325 Schmidt May 20, 1930 1,937,665 Oldham Dec. 5, 1933 1,988,138 Peck Jan. 15, 1935 1,994,152 Talboys Mar. 12, 1935 2,073,816 Talboys Mar. 16, 1937 2,107,105 Criner Feb. 1, 1938 2,299,198 Williams Oct. 20, 1942 2,484,906 Pond et a1. Oct. 18, 1949 v 

